For schools

Supporting the school curriculum

The Engine Shed visits special schools to provide engaging activities during the school day or as an after-school club. These activities can be linked to schemes of work on transport, holidays, history and science.

The Engine Shed provides a wide range of railway layouts: from Brio wooden railways and Tomy Trackmaster, to Hornby electric model railways. Each layout needs different skills to design, build and run the trains. Using our popular and safe trains, the children can focus on their own specialities, building the tracks or running the trains. The Engine Shed puts the children in charge of their trains. They design, build, organise and share the railways.

Working with your teaching and support staff, our trains can be a platform for developing the following skills:

Engagement & focus

Cooperation & sharing

Problem-solving

Investigating how things work

Imaginative play

Fine motor skills

Our trains can also be used as a platform to develop numeracy, literacy, and communication skills.

Engine Shed staff are fully DBS checked, with experience in running workshops for autistic children with a range of learning abilities.

We just need a room with a clean floor, and a few tables for the Hornby layout. The Hornby layout also needs a power supply. The Engine Shed will provide all the trains and track, fully tested and checked.

Please contact Richard at the Engine Shed to discuss what we could do for your school. We’d be pleased to offer a free introductory session.

We’ll be running another Engine Shed open day for autistic children at a real railway station! We’ll be at Herne Hill station next Thursday 30 May from 10am-12noon, in the Station Hall (at 1st floor level). All the usual trains

We’re taking some of our trains to Me too & Co’s activity session in Twickenham. We’ll be providing trains to play with both on the floor and on table tops, so that the activity is accessible to wheelchair users. Tickets

The Engine Shed is a special interest group for children and young people with autism who like trains. They can play, talk and enjoy their interest in a welcoming, safe and relaxing environment – and their parents can talk in

The Engine Shed has been invited to present at the Autism Show in London! Exciting, or what?! We’ll be talking all about the importance of special interests for autistic people and how these can be used for education, training and